The Environmental Protection Agency will restore protections for Alaska's Bristol Bay, per a court filing Thursday, a move that will block the construction of a controversial gold and copper mine in the region, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: The policy shift, which comes in response to a lawsuit filed by natives of the area, will halt the near decade-long project that would have a significant impact on a sensitive southwest Alaskan ecosystem.
The past three months of disaster-filled weather across the lower 48 states ranks in a statistical dead heat with the Dust Bowl year of 1936 as the hottest summer on record, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported Thursday.
Why it matters: A record 18.4% of the contiguous U.S. experienced record-warm temperatures this summer, while five states — California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Utah — reported their hottest summers on record.
Tomorrow.io, the fast-growing weather and climate intelligence provider, unveiled Thursday a flood risk index for its data platform. The goal is to help cities, companies and others better prepare for extreme precipitation events.
Why it matters: The new product, first revealed by Axios, arrives following devastating flooding from Hurricane Ida, which left dozens dead in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York last week.
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed Thursday it has assessed more than 800 of over 2,000 reports of pollution in the wake of Hurricane Ida. Nearly 350 of these have been reports of oil spills.
What's happening: The Coast Guard has established a pollution response team in Baton Rouge following the reports that have emerged since the Aug. 29 hurricane, which first made landfall with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph in Port Fourchon, Louisiana — a key oil industry hub and staging area.
The death toll from Hurricane Ida's wake rose by 11 in Louisiana on Wednesday after health officials reported additional fatalities in New Orleans.
Details: The newest figures from Orleans Parish coroner's office bring the state's tally to 26, according to the state's health department. The newly recorded deaths occurred between Aug. 30 and Monday.
A startup is using artificial intelligence to find new sourcesof metals that powerelectric vehicles and renewable energy technologies.
Why it matters: The world desperately needs new supplies of lithium, cobalt and other metals to accelerate the shift to EVs and renewable energy, and machine learning can help narrow the search.
The world's largest direct-air carbon dioxide capture and sequestration plant, developed by Climeworks and Carbfix, went online in Iceland on Wednesday.
Why it matters: Though current direct CO2 capture and storage technologies can offset only a tiny fraction of annual emissions, some climate scientists believe they will have an important role in limiting global warming and climate change in the future.
Vast quantities of oil, natural gas and coal need to stay in the ground in order for the world to have even a 50% chance of meeting the Paris Climate Agreement's temperature target, a new study finds.
Why it matters: The research paints a stark picture of a world in which fossil fuel production must begin declining either now or within the next few years.
Oil-and-gas companies are increasingly working with third parties as they face pressure to breathe life into their climate pledges and show they're credible.
Driving the news: Exxon has a new agreement with the nonprofit MiQ to certify and grade methane emissions from a portion of its Permian Basin gas production.
Environmental groups are laying out funding levels they want for energy pieces of the big spending-and-tax package Democrats hope to move on a party-line vote that faces huge political hurdles.
Driving the news: An open letter from 20 groups lays out estimates for the programs that would create a "clear path" to cutting U.S. emissions in half by 2030 relative to 2005 levels.
This morning brought the launch of a climate tech VC fund that's notable for its prominent backers and connective tissue to communities on the front lines of global warming.
Driving the news:Earthshot Ventures is a new early-stage investor in hardware and software companies that announced its presence today and the close of its first fund at $60 million.
President Biden demonstrated during visits Tuesday to flood-ravaged New Jersey and New York that he's keen to link recent extreme weather events with calls to tackle climate change.
Why it matters: It could convince more resistant audiences about the seriousness of global warming and also fuel the case for some of those major infrastructure investments Democrats have been promoting.
